Page 54 of A Montana Secret Admirer
“Exactly. We don’t really get to do much of that when your brother is practicing, but since he’s not here…” Reese smiled and gave a lift of his shoulder. “What do you think?”
Slowly, a smile spread across Tegan’s face. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”
That had to be a good sign, right? The kid might even be open to having a conversation about his father. Though, Reese was all too aware of the fact that he’d have to tread carefully. One wrong move, and the kid would likely never speak to him again. Heck, he might even refuse to go riding.
It took no time at all for Reese to saddle his horse and get them out on the trail. Tegan wasn’t a chatterbox usually, and that proved to be the case as they plodded along. There was an inquisitive look on his face that Reese wanted nothing more than to investigate.
“What are you thinking about, bud?”
Tegan shrugged.
“Now, I know that’s not the truth.”
This time, he was given a look of irritation—at least that was the only way to describe it. Or was there a little humor being hidden behind Tegan’s squinted eyes?
Maybe.
Probably not, though.
“Come on,” Reese sighed. “Are you going to make me spend this whole ride in silence? Talking is about the only thing a cowboy can do when we’re out riding, and my horse isn’t exactly the best at communication.”
That earned him an eyeroll.
Anactualeyeroll from a kid who hadn’t even been alive when the first smart phone had been invented.
When Reese glanced over at the kid, he thought he might have caught a slight grin as well. Then again, it might have been wishful thinking on his part. Tegan had only continued to close up around Reese, and that wasn’t sitting right with him at all. Not only did it worry Serenity, but it was starting to do the same to Reese. He’d finally gotten Serenity to open up to him. The boys would be the only thing that could possibly come between them.
Reese whistled out a tune as they continued on their ride. There was no easy way to ease into the conversation he needed to have with Tegan. The kid needed to understand that his mother deserved to find happiness after she’d lost his father. But how in the world was Reese supposed to bring that up without sounding unsensitive?
“Did you know that my dad died when I was younger?”
Tegan stiffened. His eyes darted over to Reese but didn’t linger long enough to be able to gauge what he was feeling.
Clearing his throat, Reese shifted in his saddle. “I wasn’t as young as you were, of course. But I was still a kid.”
The boy remained rigid in his seat. Then he wiped at his nose with the back of his hand. Shoot. Reese didn’t want to make the kid cry.
“Anyway, it was hard. I went my whole life loving the man and looking up to him only for him to…” He shrugged as his throat closed up. The emotion wasn’t expected, and he thought for a brief moment that he might actually break down instead.
“How old were you?”
Fighting the urge to flinch at the question, Reese glanced at Tegan. “Older than you.” He didn’t want to say that he had been nearly an adult. For all he knew, Tegan wouldn’t think it was hard to lose someone when they were older.
“Do you miss him?”
“Absolutely, I do.” Reese peered at Tegan for a long moment, letting his cracked words hang in the balance between them. “Every single day of my life.”
Tegan frowned. “You don’t look like you do.”
Reese stiffened at that. “And what does it look like when you miss someone?”
The kid shrugged and stared straight ahead.
“Do you think I have to be sad all the time?”
“No,” he muttered.
“Do I need to get angry easily? Or refuse to let go of the pain of his loss?”
